Tag: Monkey Boxing »

Hey, that iPad of yours has a nice big screen. Why keep it all to yourself? Grab some friends and play some games together with them! Here's four of my favorites.

Fingle: It's time to get intimate with this two-player iPad game. It starts out simply enough: each person moves their finger to the dashed box on screen. Sure, we can do that! Then multiple fingers get involved. Then the target boxes keep moving. Then the targets move in and out of the other person's hand, and action is getting incredibly touchy-feely here. Oh, and the game's use of innuendo means that it knows what's up. So grab a friend and be ready to become really close...or make things really awkward. Great memories or terrible memories are sure to come.

Bloop: Some of these games are fun for just two people, but here's one for up to four people. The objective? Each player picks a color on the screen, and when the action starts, they need to tap it whenever it pops up. Oh, and the colors are rapidly popping up all throughout the game, so reacting quickly to where colors are coming up is extremely important! Expect to be shoving others' arms out of the way all while playing this. It's got the best facets of an iPad multiplayer game: an easy concept to pick up on and plenty of chaos that creates for memorable moments.

Monkey Boxing: Sure, abstract competition is great. But sometimes friends just need to beat each other up by using simian avatars. That's exactly what this game provides, with two players on one iPad. The two-button gameplay is easy to dive in to, and there's enough variety to keep things from ever being monotonous. Don't just jump in to the game, though. Make sure to customize your monkey's outfit before fighting. Half of success is looking good while doing so. That's a fact.

Hundreds: This is something of an out-of-left-field choice in that it's not really a multiplayer game, right? Well, what you made you think that it was explicitly a singleplayer game? Given that the game is very much based around multitouch, get some other people and try to solve some of the fiendish challenges that the game throws out. However, more independently-working fingers means more opportunities to screw up, so it really just brings a different approach to the title that can really change the game.

If the title Monkey Boxing sounds like a good time, then it's probably worth hitting that "Buy App" button above right now, because this game is exactly what it says on the tin. It's boxing with monkeys. How can than not be fun?

Well, thankfully it is quite fun. It's easy to get into, with a button for punching, and a button for blocking. The game focuses on same-device multiplayer, with four rounds to try and knock out the other monkey in the ring. Quick-time events like tapping icons for powerful round-ending punches and health, along with rapid spinning sections, add to the fun chaos. A match only takes a couple minutes, and there's plenty of gloating to be had for the victor. Then it's on to the next fight!

While the game is multiplayer-focused, there's also a singleplayer mode that's built around making one's monkey stronger, and unlocking new disguises all the way throughout. After all, what's the fun of monkeys punching each other if it isn't stylish as all get out? A monkey with a giant green afro is my kind of monkey!

Now, the only sin that Monkey Boxing commits is to be far too simplistic for real long-term play, what with only one punch button and one block button, there's not much more strategizing than to wail on the punch button when necessary, block when the opponent is attacking, and try to time a counter-attack. This is really about grabbing a friend, and punching the bananas out of each other for a few minutes while on the iPad. It's playable in two-player mode on iPhone as well, but it's rather cramped. Also, the spinning sections? I'm terrible at them. Thus I presume that they're broken and need fixing! No one beats me and my monkey!

While it's all a rather basic experience, Monkey Boxing lives up to its premise. Perhaps if a million monkeys were put into a room, they'd form a championship boxing league instead of writing Macbeth. Awesome.